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Objective: To examine the pathophysiology of reductions in antithrombin (AT) activity during pregnancy and to better characterize the laboratory features of pregnant women with severely depressed AT activity. Methods: Laboratory variables for blood samples obtained within 5 d prior to delivery were compared among three women groups with severely depressed (<45%, n = 6), modestly depressed (45-69%, n = 10), and normal AT activity levels (>70%, n = 134). Results: Pregnancy-induced hypertension was present in 16.7% (1/6), 30.0% (3/10), and 9.0% (12/134) of the women with the above-mentioned AT activities, respectively. The AT activities were significantly and negatively correlated with the D-dimer, urate, and creatinine levels. The D-dimer level was significantly and negatively correlated with the fibrinogen level. Women with AT activity <45% exhibited markedly elevated levels of hemoglobin and liver enzymes and a significantly lower level of fibrinogen than the other women groups, while the platelet count did not differ among the three groups. Conclusions: Enhanced thrombin generation was involved in the decrease in AT activity. AT activity can decrease in the absence of thrombocytopenia. The liver dysfunction that was seen in cases with severely depressed AT activity may have resulted from impairments in liver perfusion caused by microthromboses generated as a result of the relative lack of AT and/or the shortage of circulating plasma in women with reduced AT activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Recent findings suggest that cerebral edema is a characteristic finding on magnetic resonance imaging in women with eclampsia and that pregnancy-induced antithrombin deficiency (PIATD) may reflect enhanced vascular permeability and may allow the retention of excess water in the interstitial space. Whether PIATD and extraordinary weight gain (EOWG) are risk factors for eclampsia remains to be studied. Methods. The medical records of 11 women with eclampsia among 17,522 deliveries were reviewed retrospectively with respect to changes in the laboratory data and the maternal body weight. PIATD was defined as a perinatal antithrombin activity of ≤65% of the normal activity levels with an antenatal decline and/or a prompt postnatal increase. A large net weight gain during the last two antenatal weeks >97.5th percentile value (>4.01 kg) obtained from 272 control women with neither hypertension nor PIATD was defined as EOWG. Relative risk was obtained on the assumption that the prevalences of PIATD and EOWG were 2.0 and 2.5%, respectively, among 17,511 women who did not develop eclampsia. Results. The duration of hypertension until an eclamptic fit was within 7 days in all 11 cases. PIATD and EOWG were observed in 6 (54.5%) and 2 (18.2%) cases, yielding a relative risk (95% confidential interval) of 57.9 (17.7-188.7) and 8.65 (1.87-39.91) for eclampsia among women with PIATD and EOWG, respectively. Conclusions. PIATD and EOWG may be risk factors for eclampsia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]